Force Motors To Launch Premium SUV To Take on Fortuner!

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KOLKATA: Force Motors has set its ambitions high. After rolling out an SUV that has taken on high end ...

KOLKATA: Force Motors has set its ambitions high. After rolling out an SUV that has taken on high end vehicles by Indian auto majors Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, Force has begun work on a premium SUV to compete with the likes of Optra, Endeavour, Fortuner, X-Trail, Koleos and Outlander etc from global auto giants GM, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi.

The premium SUV that is currently on the drawing board is expected to be ready in a couple of years. The vehicle's development cost is part of the Rs 1,000 crore investment that the Pune-based company has lined up over the next couple of years.

ForceMotorsgeneralmanagerSanjayPatrikarconfirmedtoTOIthatthecompanywas working on a new SUV concept to bepositionedinthepremium segment.

"As a company, Force Motors aspires to be a player across price segments. With the entry-level no-nonsense off-roader Gurkha priced Rs 6.25-8.25 lakh and SUV Force One priced Rs 8.99-11.99 lakh, we straddle the Rs 6-12 lakh bandwidth. Now we wish to extend the presence to Rs 18 lakh, and hence, the premium SUV," he explained, adding that the proposed vehicle was currently in the concept stage.

Force Motors is also set to introduce a luxury version of Force One soon. It has only recently launched two variants--EX and SX ABS. The luxury version LX will be 4x4. The company is yet to make the price public but it is expected to be Rs 13-14 lakh.

The EX and SX versions are the next generation of the Force One originally launched in 2011. The EX features a BSIII compliant Mercedes OM 616 derived 2.6-litre direct injection turbo engine with 82PS and 230Nm, same as the Gurkha. It's the entry-level model that targets the rural sector as either a private vehicle or an upmarket taxi. The SX on the other hand features a Mercedes BSIV compliant 2.2-litre common rail diesel with a variable geometry turbo. It makes 141PS and 321Nm. It's aimed at urban markets and sports daytime running lights and roof rails. It also gets ABS, EBD and driver and passenger airbags as standard.

Both variants go on sale in August. EX will retail at Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom pan India) while SX will carry a price tag of Rs 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom Pune). Sales for the feature-packed LX will commence in a month. The latter will take on XUV5OO all-wheel drive and Tata Safari Storme 4x4.

Patrikar also said Force Motors would be a force to reckon with in five years when its current annual turnover of Rs 2,700 crore is pegged to touch Rs 10,000 crore.

The Force One from the Force Motors company is a beautiful car. I had been its owner for a long time and it has given me awesome performances. The new launch of the different variants of the vehicle i.e., SX, EX and LX are lucrative and i am sure that would pull in a lot of customers from tier 2 and 3 cities as well.

The interiors have been changed in the new version as the company's launch photographs and it looks pretty decent and nice with dual tone interiors. The wooden panel finishing has got replaced and it looks more exciting. Looking forward to drive the LX variant of the the Force One which is a 4x4.

It would not be a premium SUV unless released with an automatic transmission and up to date technology. If they cannot, then stick to what they do best and price it sensibly. Force motors should look at what happened to Tata Aria and avoid same mistakes.